Method for managing communication modes for an aircraft

• US 6,353,779 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson-Csf Sextant
• Original Assignee: Thomson-Csf Sextant
• Inventors: Simon, Georges Henri, Bernas, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/601,340
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/120, 701/14, 244/1.R, 455/73, 342/36, 340/945
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

The present invention relates to the management, on board an aircraft, of the aeronautical digital telecommunications networks ACARS and ATN. It covers a method for automatic choice of the transmission sub-network of the ACARS or ATN networks which is most appropriate for the exchange of digital messages with the ground, taking account of the capabilities of the equipment of the aircraft, of that existing on the ground in the area overflown, of the costs and of the reliabilities of the possible links, and of the preferences of the pilot, of his airline and of the control services. This method consists principally in the creation and updating of a database containing information: costs, performance levels, security/reliability, aircraft configuration, availabilities of the communications sub-networks as well as the stipulations by the pilot, by his airline and by the control services, and in the automatic selection of a communications mode via a sub-network of the ACARS or ATN networks, taking into account an order of preference established on the basis of criteria based on the information contained in the database (342).

Claims

1. Method of managing communications modes for an exchange, in digital form, of messages between the ground and an aircraft provided with transmission equipment suitable for aeronautical digital telecommunications with ACARS and ATN networks and transmission sub-networks of said ACARS and ATN networks, said aircraft equipped with a computer managing communications of the aircraft within the ACARS and ATN networks, said computer equipped with a man-machine interface allowing a pilot to dialogue with said computer, said method comprising the steps of:

providing said computer with a database including,

an updated status of the communications modes via one of the transmission sub-networks of the ACARS and ATN networks available to the aircraft at a desired moment of said exchange of messages, said updated status taking in account capabilities of the transmission equipment on a ground area overflown by the aircraft and said transmission equipment of the aircraft,

directives expressed by the pilot by way of said man-machine interface and framing a configuration choice of said communications modes,

a pre-established routing policy, and

costs, performance levels, and qualities of service of said communications modes; and

selecting, via the computer, one of the communication modes via said one of the transmission sub-networks by application of a predefined rule accounting for an order of preference among said communications modes via one of said transmission sub-networks, a selected transmission sub-network established on a basis of elements of said database, including,

actual availabilities, at the desired moment of the exchange, of the communications modes via one of said transmission sub-networks,

directives expressed by the pilot and framing a communications choice of a communications mode via one of said transmission sub-networks to be used,

pre-established routing policy, costs, performance levels, and qualities of service of said communications modes, offered by said ACARS and ATN transmission networks via one of said transmission sub-networks.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

selecting one of the communications modes to be used for the exchange of messages via one of said transmission sub-networks by application of a reliability criterion including,

allocating to ATN communications modes via a sub-network belonging to the ATN network a better reliability preference mark than to ACARS communications modes via a sub-network belonging to the ACARS network,

wherein the ACARS network is chosen outside a coverage of the ATN network.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

selecting one of the communications modes to be used for the exchange of messages via one of said transmission sub-networks by application of a cost criterion, including,

allocating to said communications modes via one of said transmission sub-networks a preference mark which is in inverse proportion to the communications cost,

determining whether an ATN communications mode via an ATN sub-network belonging to the ATN network is active at the desired moment of said exchange of messages and consulting a cost-preference mark of said ATN communications mode,

determining which of said communications modes, via an ACARS sub-network belonging to the ACARS network, are available at the desired moment of said exchange of messages on a basis of both transmission equipment on the aircraft not used at the moment by the ATN network and cost-preference marks of the communications modes,

selecting from among said communications modes via a previously adopted sub-network a communications mode having the best cost-preference mark, and

recommencing the steps of allocating, determining, and selecting upon each alteration to the database resulting either from an appearance of a new available communications mode, or from a loss of availability of a communications mode resulting from a movement of the aircraft, or from an alteration of flight conditions, or from a switch-over of a routing of the ATN network when the ATN network is active.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

selecting one of the communications modes via one of the transmission sub-networks, including,

allocating to the communications modes via one of the transmission subnetworks a preference mark decreasing as a function of an order of priority established on a basis of a pre-established routing policy, and

selecting one of the communications modes via a sub-network having the highest preference mark among the communications modes which are available at the desired moment of said exchange of messages, taking account of an area of a ground overflown by the aircraft, a pilot'"'"'s preferences, and an availability of the transmission equipment of the aircraft.